surviving cancer

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I love the change of seasons and after the winter we have had this past year I am even more eager for spring to arrive! I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer, to open my windows, and to enjoy being outside again…a breath of fresh air! Seasons are good because they bring changes. As I am getting ready to do some spring cleaning I’m seeing a direction change for my blogging as well. I will still report back here to A Pilgrims Ponderings from time to time. Unfortunately having once been diagnosed with cancer makes it part of my future. There will always be follow-ups and tests but for now I’m putting my trust in God and not being anxious about it. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

I would like to invite you all to my newest blog, New Wine for New Wineskins here at WordPress and sign up to follow it. Each “chalk chat” or post on my chalkboard will be a devotional, many relating to current events. Perhaps it will be something you will be able to use as a tool in sharing with a friend or co-worker, as well as hopefully strengthening and refreshing your own soul! I hope you’ll choose to join me on my new journey.

Here’s what I wrote on my new blog about why I’m titling it New Wine for New Wineskins:

Matthew 9:17, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into newwineskins, and both are preserved.”

Wineskins were made from clean animal hides and used for storing and carrying wine. As new wine continues to ferment, the carbon dioxide produced causes the wineskin to expand. An old wineskin would already be stretched with no room for expansion and thus be unable to hold new wine.

I would like to think of the posts on this blog as “new wine” for the soul. As it goes down and you meditate on God’s Word, allow it to ferment in your spirit and expand your heart and passion for God. Growth is good! As a new creation, be the new wineskin to receive His Word and allow it to revive your soul. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

I feel this verse sums up the point I’m at right now, bursting with a love for God’s Word and the revelation He gives and I want to share it with you my readers! I make no apologies.

“For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;

inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.
I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply.

I will show no partiality, nor will I flatter anyone;
for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.”

Seasons. After what seemed like a long winter we finally got a taste of spring. A few days of unseasonably warm days. Windows were finally opened for a bit. People were outside cleaning up yards. Motorcycles were taken out for a spin. Everyone seemed happier. It was a tease for a few days but a welcome one. Each season brings some kind of change. Some “seasons” in our life are brief; others seem like they will never end. Some are welcomed, others dreaded. How do we handle these changes when they are big and not welcomed?

ptarmigan

In school this week my students had read about some animals that live in the tundra and taiga where the ground is frozen and it snows a lot. How do they handle the seasonal changes? The arctic fox and the arctic hare are brownish grey in summer and white in winter. Their camouflage helps them to survive. The ptarmigan, an arctic bird, also changes to pure white in the winter but additionally grows stiff feathers between its toes so it can walk on the frozen ground. They can also fly into snow banks and nestle in the snow to sleep and keep warm. By doing this they don’t leave tracks for predators to follow either. The wolverine grows thick fur and has flat paws so it can walk on top of the snow. Other animals like the arctic ground squirrel simply hibernate and sleep the long cold winter away.

Seasonal changes for animals and adaptation. God has equipped animals with ways to adapt in order to survive. Amazing! More amazing is that God has done the same for us humans and we are much more important to Him. “You, beloved, are worth so much more than a whole flock of sparrows. God knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head. So do not fear.” (Matthew 10:30-31 VOICE)

So what are the ways we have been equipped to handle major changes in our lives? I was thinking how different my life become almost overnight one year ago. For me it was a cancer diagnosis. For you it may be a different type of health issue, or a job loss, your marriage, financial woes, or problems with your children. How do we weather the storm or season we are in?

I believe that our survival mode must include prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God and hearing His voice. We need to know what direction to go, what to do, and how to do it. We need to trust God and follow His lead. This is our GPS to get us through it. He has given us the scriptures, His Word, our survival manual. “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 MSG) If we release our burden to God, we are no longer carrying the weight of it. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

We could choose to hibernate from our problems but they would still be there when we “woke up.” They aren’t going to go away while we sleep or try to ignore them; in fact, they would probably get worse. We will never get to the next season until we go through the one we are currently in. Some seasons will be better than others. I find comfort in the fact that if God has equipped animals with ways to survive the seasonal changes and He cares more for me, then I know He has equipped me with what I will need to endure and embrace whatever changes come my way. “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 GNT) We are not alone. We will survive! Spring is in the air!